The Husky Haul
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Washington Football Position Preview: Ross and WRs Look to Bounce Back

By Alec Dietz

Dec 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Dante Pettis (8) is knocked out of bounds by Southern Miss Golden Eagles defensive back Kalan Reed (11) in the first quarter at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Dante Pettis (8) is knocked out of bounds by Southern Miss Golden Eagles defensive back Kalan Reed (11) in the first quarter at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chris Peterson heads into his 3rd season with the University of Washington, and looks to finally break Stanford and Oregon’s stronghold on the Pac-12 North. With football season coming up, we look ahead to where the Dawgs are set, and where their might be some battles.

A Year Ago…

This unit struggled at times over the course of the 2015 season, especially near the beginning of the season, when tailback, Dwayne Washington led the Huskies in receiving yards after the first few weeks of the season. He would end up as the fourth leading receiver for the Huskies, with 315 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

The most key contributor, and Jake Browning‘s favorite target last season, was receiver Jaydon Mickens, who led the Huskies in receptions with 58, and receiving yards with 692 yards.

Additionally, senior tight end Joshua Perkins, and sophomore receiver Dante Pettis had pretty good seasons, with Perkins attaining 539 receiving yards, and Pettis having 414 receiving yards.

However, for the most part, this unit seemed to be ineffective at times, and as a whole, couldn’t help out their freshmen quarterback very well until the very end of the season. This ultimately led to the firing of wide receiver coach Brent Pease, and the hiring and promotion of coordinator, Bush Hamdan.

Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies /

Washington Huskies

Saying Goodbye:

New Faces:

  • Jordan Chin, WR, 6’2″, 170 lbs.
  • Jacob Kizer, TE, 6’5″, 235 lbs.
  • Aaron Fuller, WR, 5’10”, 170 lbs.

Current Roster: 

2016 Outlook:

Normally, when a player misses a whole season due to a knee injury, one would think that their production would drop off and they wouldn’t be as effective of a football player. However, when John Ross returned to showcase his abilities at the Husky combine, he reportedly ran a 4.29 40 yard dash.

Not much different from his pre-knee injury days I would imagine.

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While this is all well and good for Husky fans, to welcome back the explosive Ross into the wide receiver core, Husky fans should be excited about their surrounding cast as well. Other than Mickens and Perkins, every single member of the receiving core returns that received significant playing time last season.

Both Pettis, Lenius and McClatcher, who were regulars last season in the wide receiver rotation, return and hope to build on last season, as now both players are veterans in the lineup.

Some new faces that might see some playing time this year, are redshirt freshmen Baccellia, and fellow redshirt freshmen Pounds. Both are undersized speedster’s who can stretch the field and create some explosive plays for the Huskies offense. Baccellia, especially, stood out to coaches during spring practices.

As for the tight end group, they welcome ex-Husky quarterback Lindquist into the fold, and return senior Daniels. Both are expected to contribute heavily to the Huskies offense, with Daniels operating as mostly a receiving option at tight end.

Similarly, sophomore Sample looks to function as a great blocking option for the Huskies, and a solid end zone threat for Washington football.

Overall, this unit looks to be much improved next season, as the Dawgs return Pettis, Lenius, Daniels, and brings back John Ross, who will definitely bring some explosiveness to a Husky offense that has plenty of tools to improve a stagnant offense from a year ago.

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